CALUMET COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – This year, the annual visit from the lake flies on Lake Winnebago is a little bit early.
From the back of a limestone marker, to the flagpole out front, lake flies are coating just about anything and everything at the Calumet County Parks Office. Naturalist Robyn Jacobchick tells FOX 11 she’s a little nervous.
“This is my very first season with the flies, yes. What do you think? I think that they were bad over the weekend. Everybody else says oh, this is nothing. This is mediocre.”
Calumet County Parks Director Adam Backus tells FOX 11 the lake flies arrived last Thursday, the earliest here since 2012.
“It depends on the weather. If the wind’s going the right direction, and it’s nice and warm out, they can get pretty annoying, especially when you’re in the lawn area. So yeah, just kind of keep your mouth closed and walk fast.”
Backus says the lake flies are an important part of the Lake Winnebago ecosystem, providing a seasonal food source for birds, and fish, including sturgeon.
“The local residents say that the better the hatch, the better the fishing, especially for sturgeon, and the spearing. So, it’s kind of an annoying thing for a couple weeks, but the people that fish this lake, and enjoy this lake, they’re willing to accept it, just for that little bit, for the benefit of the system.”
Robyn Jacobchick agrees. She says she’s not afraid of the flies, and says having a good attitude, is key.
“They don’t bite. They don’t spread disease. Just annoying for a little bit. You kind of make the best of it. If you have fun with it, it’s just better that way for everybody.”
Experts say the lake fly emergence usually arrives around Mother’s Day, which is Sunday.
They say there can be a second, less intense lake fly emergence later in the summer.
